 Web Guide - Search the Web
SEARCH ENGINES
Generally, Search Engines are computer databases of Internet sites that have been found and indexed by computers. For the most part, humans are not involved in the selection and organization of the Web sites listed. Search Engines tend to be large (often on the order of tens or hundreds of millions of sites indexed). When you search for keywords or phrases in Search Engines, you can get hundreds or thousands of results. These results are arranged by relevancy (a rather vague term that is defined differently for each Engine). A well-planned search should ideally give you the result you are after, or at least a site that will link you to your desired information, within the first 10 to 20 hits.
The biggest drawback of Search Engines is the high probability that you may have to wade through many irrelevant hits to find what you want. On the other hand, their large size makes it more likely that what you are after is actually buried in there somewhere, and learning Search Engines’ advanced searching techniques can improve your odds of digging it out.
Tips: Put a ‘+’ sign in front of the keywords or phrases that must be on the site for you to want to see it. Put quotation marks around phrases so the Search Engine doesn't break them into keywords.
A9
"A9.com, Inc. researches & builds innovative technologies to improve search experience for e-commerce applications. A separately branded & operated subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc.
Alltheweb.com
Easily searchable and customizable.
Altavista
Consistently one of the largest search engines, AltaVista offers both basic and advanced searching options. A favorite of APL library staff, AltaVista offers a translation service and some neat limiting options. Like many engines, AltaVista does sell some listings.
Excite ~ Power Search
Findsame
Search by content rather than keyword.
Google
Google makes heavy use of link popularity to rank search results. This can be good for more general/popular-topic searches on topics like travel or cars. Basically, you can view the pages that everyone else is visiting.
Lycos ~ Lycos Pro
snap.com
META-SEARCH ENGINES
Dogpile
Mamma
Metacrawler
WEB GUIDES
Web Guides (or Web Directories) are generally much smaller than Search Engines. The sites they list have been analyzed and categorized into subject areas by human beings. Some Web Guides offer annotations (rather than the usual random quote taken from the listed site), and some rate and review each site. The more information they provide, the easier it is for you to decide if the site is worth a visit. Web Guides may be general (e.g., Encyclopedia Britannica Internet Guide at www.britannica.com) or subject specific (e.g., the American Library Association’s site: 700+ Great Sites: Amazing, Spectacular, Mysterious, Colorful Web Sites for Kids and the Adults Who Care About Them at www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html). The annotations and organization are the main advantages of Web Guides. Their main drawback is their relatively small size.
About.com
Formerly known as MiningCo, About.com is a collection of GuideSites (TM) created by "a company-certified subject specialist." Each GuideSite (TM) is centered on a specific topic and features brief annotations, but no ratings, and no dates for the last time the site was visited.
Best of the Web
Direct Search
dNET (directories)
Encyclopedia Britannica Internet Guide
The editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica put together this very well organized set of links to valuable Internet resources. They rate and provide contact and statistical information for each site listed. Note that their Internet Guide is separate from their encyclopedia (which Abilene Public Library has in both print and electronic formats).
Galaxy EINet
HotSheet
Basic subject access to the Web. No annotations or evaluations included, but the guide does link to established sites.
Internet Public Library
Maintained by librarians, this site offers discipline and subject organized access to evaluated Web sites. Links include annotations. A great starting point for your surfing.
Librarians' Index to the Internet
Subject organized access to the Web. All links feature annotations. Another good place to start your surfing.
Starting Point
700+ Great Sites
Self description: "Amazing, Spectacular, Mysterious, Colorful Websites for Kids and the Adults Who Care About Them." This guide, offered by the American Library Association, offers educational and fun kid-friendly links.
Teen Hoopla: An Internet Guide for Teens
Courtesy of the American Library Association, this page offers great links to sites for school, life, and fun.
Yahoo! ~ Advanced
Yahoo is a very well known Web guide. It offers subject access to the Web, but does not discriminate against Web sites for quality. Yahoo offers no annotations or evaluations.
GENERAL LINKS SITES
American Library Association Web Links
BUBL Information Service
Library of Congress Links
MWEB TUTORIALS
Answering Reference Questions Using the Internet
This site consists of a chart that walks you though a typical reference interview and suggest types of sources (including, but not limited to, different types of Internet sites) for the information required. Many of the examples provided have a Canadian focus, but the examples are not the main focus of the page. "This Web page was produced by Joel Minion under the auspices of the British Columbia Library Association and the Library Services Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, British Columbia, Canada."
The ICYouSee Guide to the World Wide Web
Reference librarian John Henderson, of the Ithaca College Library, is the creator of this site designed for self-guided training of the World Wide Web. The content of the ICYouSee Guide is arranged around seven fundamental questions about the Web, such as "What can you do on the Web that is actually useful?," "What went wrong? or Why did it do that?," and "How can you create a Webpage for yourself?" The glossary section ("What do they mean by that?") provides easy-to-understand explanations in a question and answer format to over 120 Web-related terms. The section that answers how to find anything on the Web is an annotated guide to Internet search tools. The "What went wrong?" section is a problem solving guide to some common situations that users may encounter.
Finding Information on the Internet
The tutorial and other resources on this page "grew out of the experience of the Teaching Library at UC Berkeley in offering beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses on using the Internet's resources to find information." It covers a wide range of levels with topics from "What is the Internet" to "Beyond General Web Searching."
Learn the Net
Learn the Net covers everything from Internet history to basic and advanced tutorials. It also offers articles on topics such as "Business Websites: Wise Investments" and "Under the Hood of the World Wide Web" (a "mechanic's" view of the Web).
The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette
Arlene Rinaldi, an Internet trainer from Florida Atlantic University, created this page of rules and guidelines for proper Internet use. She discusses the full range of Internet resources, from e-mail to telnet, to WWW and beyond.
World Wide Web Workbook
Start here! If you are not sure what hypertext is, if you don't know how to move back and forward on the Web, if you need the basics in a no-flash tutorial, start here!The Franklin Institute Science Museum has done us all a service in creating this basic tutorial. It is intended for use in classroom settings (the links they provide are decidedly educational), but we can all benefit from it.
EVALUATING WEBSITES & SEARCH ENGINES
Evaluating Web Sites
The Children and Technology Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, lists the main criteria behind the selection of the "700+ Great Sites: Amazing, Spectacular, Mysterious, Wonderful, Web Sites for Kids and the Adults Who Care About Them." (available at http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/)
BIOME Advisory Group on Evaluation Criteria
BIOME home of OMNI (Organising Medical Networked Information) is a UK organization devoted to acting as a gateway to medical and health resources throughout the Internet. This page offers links to several good articles and web pages on evaluation criteria as well as the OMNI Group's own "Guidelines for Resource Evaluation."
Search Engine Watch
Danny Sullivan has been maintaining this site for a few years now. He provides test results, reviews, and guides for the major search engines. He also includes a free, monthly search engine report newsletter.
DICTIONARIES & OTHER
Ariadne
Self definition: "The Ariadne newsletter is aimed initially at subject librarians and other working librarians in academic libraries, though many people in the UK Higher Education and LIS communities will find items of interest within it. The newsletter has two main aims: It describes and evaluates sources and services available on the Internet, and of potential use, to librarians and information professionals. It reports to the library community at large on progress and developments within the Electronic Libraries Program, and of JISC-funded and other information services, keeping the busy practitioner abreast of current relevant developments."
Current Cites
The subtitle reads "An annotated bibliography of selected articles, books, and digital documents on information technology." Courtesy of a group of librarians, this free monthly publication is a useful resource.
An Atlas of Cyberspaces
This site presents unique ways of conceptualizing Cyberspace. A bit technical (i.e., not for the faint-of-heart). Self definition: "this is an atlas of maps and graphic representations of the geographies of the new electronic territories of the Internet, the World-Wide Web and other emerging Cyberspaces. These maps of Cyberspaces - cybermaps - help us visualize and comprehend the new digital landscapes beyond our computer screen, in the wires of the global communications networks and vast online information resources. The cybermaps, like maps of the real-world, help us navigation the new information landscapes, as well being objects of aesthetic interest. They have been created by 'cyber-explorers' of many different disciplines, and from all corners of the world."
Glossary of Internet Terms
If you've ever wondered what exactly the Internet is or why people wax enthusiastic over bps, this site is for you. It offers short, clear definitions for most Net-related terms you want to know.
Netdictionary
Self description: "Netdictionary is an alphabetical reference guide to technical, cultural, and humorous terms related to the Internet." Provides good definitions, often offering humorous insights into the cyberworld.
NetLingo
Self description: "The online dictionary containing hundreds of words that are emerging as a new vocabulary surrounding the technology and community of the Internet and the World Wide Web." Another good place to go for short, clear definitions.
Weekly Bookmark
Self description: "The Weekly Bookmark is a site designed to inform and entertain the Internet community. What's New and Cool on the Web? Find out every week in The Weekly Bookmark newsletter. You'll find cool site reviews of new and informative web sites in over 15 categories." Typically, the sites evaluated are informative and useful. A definite"must" for people who use the Web as a reference tool.
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